Bowers & Wilkins has just announced its new 800 Series Diamond speaker range to celebrate the British brand’s 60th anniversary.
The fifth generation of the 800 series of standing speakers has also included B&W’s Diamond Dome tweeter, and includes seven new models, including the two-way 805 D5 standmounter and three types of floor-standing models: the 804 D5, 803 D5, and 802 D5.
And the good news is, we’ve heard it. We’re down in High End Vienna so we’ve tipped B&W with the promise of a class-leading listening experience with the 801 D5 (£43,000 / $65,000 / €50,000).
We’ll get a chance to have an even deeper listen later, but the best Bowers & Wilkins speakers don’t come along very often, so we were eager to take this first chance.
First, general warnings. It wasn’t the longest demo we’ve ever given – about 45 minutes – and demo rooms at hi-fi shows rarely provide the best possible sound, especially when you’re competing with sub-par acoustics and the sound of several thousand hi-fi enthusiasts trying to find their acoustics.
So all said and done – the signs agree.
It’s taken nearly five years for B&W to bake its latest speakers in the proverbial oven, but as we continue our demo, the promise of improved resolution and spy detail levels looks set to prove true.
B&W promised an “even-handed” and “generous” character without losing the resolution from the 801 D5, and when combined with a system that includes a Mark Levinson 626 preamp and a 632 power amp, as well as a high-quality Innuos Nazaré music player, our demo speakers are ready to show off some of their clear abilities.
Odetta’s Hit or Miss it’s our aperitif, with the opening drums ringing three-three and true before that delightful middle performance is given ample space in the spotlight.
We’re sitting a little off center, so it’s hard to judge how well the 801 D5 speakers combine each aspect of music, but the impression we get is of speakers capable of mixing music in a clean, precise and cinematic way.
We’re also promised tight, integrated bass, something B&W and Eric Clapton show After Midnight and Thom Yorke Black Swan.
There’s plenty of power and authority in the low-end production on both tracks, with strong bass evidence that, in B&W’s words, combines “scale and integrity”.
We’re certainly willing to let the B&W 801 D5 out in a larger, more atmospheric room where the speakers have more room to bloom and breathe, but regardless, there are strong hints of serious talent here.
Antigravity by Sohn ends our session, allowing the B&W towers to continue to demonstrate their dynamic capabilities.
Low-end speakers like these should be able to handle small level changes around those big dynamic curves, a balance the 801 D5 seems to master as various instruments scatter and fall around.
We’ll reserve any concrete judgments until we’ve had more time to dig into the 801 D5 and discover the limits of their capabilities.
The first signs point to a powerful, clear and detailed pair of impressive floor flagships, even if it is difficult to escape the limitations of the listening space working against them.
Once we get a chance to put the speakers in a place where they can really shine, we’ll be in a better position to see if B&W has added a true classic to its long-standing Diamond lineup.
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